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Ohio State's second-year head coach knows the importance of Friday's Orange Bowl to his program.
While Dabo Swinney waited for Urban Meyer to arrive for an Orange Bowl photo op Thursday morning, the Clemson coach was trying to come up with something to catch Meyer's attention. Meyer, who is oftentimes labeled, perhaps unfairly, aloof, missed Swinney's off-color remark about what he did the night before.
Meyer shook Swinney's hand, standing before a few dozen cameras snapping away, and smiled, the thought of Swinney's ill-timed joke running through his head.
It wasn't that Meyer didn't get the joke, or that he's aloof.
Meyer and Swinney are friendly colleagues, but there's a lot riding on the Orange Bowl in Sun Life Stadium.
Ohio State's second-year head coach, however, knows the importance of tonight's Orange Bowl. The seventh-ranked Buckeyes tumbled from the national title game to a BCS bowl in South Florida against No. 12 Clemson.
While this game has been largely ignored by national media, there are implications for Meyer's program. Ohio State is coming off its first — and only — loss since Meyer took over last season. The Buckeyes also needed an interception on a two-point conversion to beat Michigan 42-41 in Ann Arbor.
Neither of those two games helped Ohio State's national image as Big Ten bully beating up on weaker opponents.
So yes, tonight's game against Clemson is not just a reward for a 12-1 season, but it will be a measuring-stick game that either will lend credence to the critics or give Meyer some clout.
"We're 12-1; 12-2 is a lot different than 13-1, and winning a BCS bowl game is very important," Meyer said.
He should know.
Meyer is 4-0 in BCS games and 7-1 in bowls as a head coach. He has won two BCS National Championships, the Fiesta Bowl and the Sugar Bowl. This is his first Orange Bowl. The only other major bowl Meyer has never played in and won is the Rose Bowl.
The Buckeyes and defensive assistant coaches have had three weeks to analyze a porous pass defense and fix the problems. They have made personnel changes by starting Tyvis Powell, who picked off the Michigan two-point pass, and starting freshman Vonn Bell at nickel back tonight. Meyer said they have made changes to the scheme as well.
Throw in Michigan State's Rose Bowl win over Stanford and the fact that Spartan QB Connor Cook lit up the Stanford defense as well, and Ohio State has a chance to make the end of the 2013 season taste better.
"The truth is the upper level Big Ten teams are excellent football teams," Meyer said. "The conference is getting better. Guys are working extremely hard to close the gap on the SEC. ... That's a topic of conversation quite often."
Clemson, with two losses, had a tougher road to South Florida. The last time Swinney brought his team to the Orange Bowl he watched West Virginia have its way in a 70-33 win.
It was embarrassing.
Now Clemson is trying to gain the respect that Ohio State has earned over the years, and it could come at the Buckeyes' expense.
"We were the worst team in America," Swinney said, sarcastically. "We just played in a BCS bowl, won the ACC for the first time in 20 years, won 10 games for the first time in 20-something years, but we were this bad football team. We're 21-4 since that game, and those four losses have been to top-10 teams. We've had our fair share of those top-10 wins along the way, as well."
That is largely what this game will be about. Both Ohio State and Clemson are coming off losses their last time out. South Carolina beat Clemson 31-17, and Michigan State beat Ohio State 34-24.
Clemson is one of six teams in the country that have been to BCS games twice in the last three seasons. The other five teams won one of those games.
Swinney is looking for his first.
"It's a great opportunity for us to kind of check that off our list of things we need to accomplish as we continue to climb the mountain," Swinney said.
Ohio State's players spent the first week after the Michigan State loss searching for motivation. The Buckeyes went from challenging Florida State in the BCS National Championship game to "settling" for the Orange Bowl in a matter of minutes against Michigan State.
The players seemed to have turned a competitive corner with Meyer, though. No one has looked bored to be at the Orange Bowl.
"If there's competitive spirit, then you're going to play your heart out," Meyer said. "From everything I've seen with this team, the competitive spirit is there. Now it's just are we good enough in certain spots to go defeat this team?
"I've also been in situations where I didn't feel the competitive spirit. That's where you've got — I'll say the secret T-shirt or secret handshake — to get guys to play hard. I don't feel that."
But he feels the importance of perception on his program.


text: The Time Saver Pack provides instant access to all cars in Need for Speed Most Wanted's revolutionary Online Multiplayer. You'll also have access to All Cars and Jack Spots in Single player with the exception of the Most Wanted Cars. To get these exclusive Cars you'll have to use your skills and take them down!

subset: commoncrawl


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Section Branding
Header Content
Lobbyists Wouldn't Buy Plane Tickets
Primary Content
Proposed rules would ban lobbyists from buying airfare for Georgia's state lawmakers under an amended plan from a leading Republican.
The latest changes to House Speaker David Ralston's bill would prohibit lobbyists from buying free airplane tickets for lawmakers.
Under the plan, lobbyists could still pay for a public official's lodging, registration and food and beverage costs. Lobbyists could also pay for other forms of travel so long as lawmakers do not fly to the destination.
Lobbyists could also pay for the public official's staff and spouse to attend, but not other family members.
The House Rules committee is now considering the legislation. Republican Rep. Rich Golick of Smyrna said the bill may see additional changes.
Tags: politics, ethics, lobbying rules, airfare


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WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is providing rides to 11 relatives of those killed in the shooting at Connecticut's Sandy Hook Elementary School so they can attend his gun control speech Monday before heading to Washington on Air Force One to personally encourage senators to back gun legislation that faces tough opposition.
After Obama's speech in Hartford, relatives of seven children and one staffer killed during December's massacre at the school will travel back to Washington with him, according to the nonprofit organization that works with the families, Sandy Hook Promise.
The White House says Obama is going to argue in his speech that lawmakers have an obligation to the children killed and other victims of gun violence to act on his proposals.
Gun legislation could come up for debate in the Senate this week as lawmakers return from spring break. The Sandy Hook families want to speak to senators who have not voiced support for the legislation, to ask for support in memory of their children and the school staff who were killed Dec. 14. The White House offered to give the families a ride so they could also attend Obama's speech before their lobbying push.
Sandy Hook Promise said in a statement, "The group is encouraging senators to come together around legislative proposals that will both save lives and respect the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Americans."
In his speech Monday evening, Obama plans to invoke the memories of the 26 students and staff members killed. He is speaking at the University of Hartford, near the state capitol where last week the governor signed into law some of the nation's strictest gun control laws with the Sandy Hook families standing behind him.
But legislation in Washington faces a tougher challenge, as the nation's memories of the shooting fade with time and the National Rifle Association wages a formidable campaign against Obama's proposals. Senators were negotiating Monday in search of an eleventh-hour deal to expand background checks for gun buyers, after weeks of talks had failed to reach a compromise that could win bipartisan support.
Other measures Obama wants are unlikely to pass. Senate leaders say there are not enough votes for an assault weapons ban. Prospects are also bleak for a proposal to limit the number of rounds of ammunition in a single magazine to 10.
With time running out on negotiations, the White House is making an all-hands-on-deck push this week. Vice President Joe Biden and Attorney General Eric Holder planned to promote their plan at the White House on Tuesday with law enforcement officials. First lady Michelle Obama planned to wade into the debate Wednesday with a speech on youth violence in her hometown of Chicago. And on Thursday, Biden was taking part in a discussion on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" with people who have different views on gun control.
The matter is divisive in Newtown, Conn., as in the rest of the country. Not all Sandy Hook families support gun control, and even those involved with the lobbying push organized by Sandy Hook Promise are not backing the assault weapons ban. But those families are asking lawmakers to expand background checks, increase penalties for gun trafficking and limit the size of magazines. The magazine issue has a particular resonance with those families.
Nicole Hockley told The Associated Press in an interview that she wonders if her 6-year-old son, Dylan, might still be alive if shooter Adam Lanza hadn't be able to bring 10 magazines holding 30 rounds each into the school that day. Lanza was able to get off 154 shots during a four-minute rampage in the school. But he stopped shooting briefly in her son's classroom to reload, giving 11 children time to escape.
"They ran for their lives," Hockley said in a telephone interview Friday. "Dylan was not so fortunate. If there were lower capacity magazine clips, there's a chance Dylan would be here with me today."
Hockley plans to introduce Obama in Hartford and sit on stage during the speech with her husband, Ian. The other families who plan to fly on Air Force One are scheduled to meet privately with the president before he speaks and then attend the speech. Those relatives include:
— Mark and Jackie Barden — parents of 7-year-old Daniel
— Nelba Marquez Greene — mother of 6-year-old Ana
— Neil Heslin — father of 6-year-old Jesse
— Jennifer Hensel — mother of 6-year-old Avielle
— Bill Sherlach — husband of Mary, a 56-year-old school psychologist
— Ben and Cheyanne Wyatt — parents of 6-year-old Allison
— David and Francine Wheeler — parents of 6-year-old Ben


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Taboo's Native Roots | RUMBLE
Clip: Season 20 Episode 8 | 59s Video has closed captioning.
"I grew up understanding my Mexican roots more than my Native roots," says Black Eyed Peas' rapper/singer/songwriter Taboo in this clip from the Independent Lens film RUMBLE. He learned about the other side of his heritage from his Shoshone grandmother, which helped him appreciate how his style was influenced by the whole mix.
Aired: 01/21/19
The full episode is no longer available for online streaming. Why?
Please continue to enjoy extra(s) from this episode. The full episode is still available for purchase through the "Buy Now" links.
Buy Now:
Problems Playing Video? | Closed Captioning


text: The Court of Chivalry 1634-1640 In 'The High Court of Chivalry' The Court of Chivalry 1634-1640The projectThe archivesThe Court in the 17th centurySearch the databaseContact us The Court of Chivalry web site has been created through a collaboration between the Centre for Reformation and Early Modern Studies and the Institute for Textual Scholarship and Electronic Editing, both at the University of Birmingham, and the College of Arms in London. Funding for the project was provided by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the research and editing of documents has been carried out at Birmingham by Professor Richard Cust and Dr Andrew Hopper. There is a companion volume to this web site, containing an account of the court's history and summaries of the cases for this period: R.P.Cust and A.J.Hopper (eds), Cases in the High Court of Chivalry, 1634-1640 (Harleian Society, new series vol. 18, 2006)


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Two Winona Ryder posts in one day! This makes me so happy.
Here she is at the gala premiere of The Iceman tonight in Venice wearing Dolce & Gabbana. In black of course, always. And so beautiful, of course. And so... delicate and vulnerable, again, of course. I am addicted to her face. Have been forever.
Really like how her neckline is cut. But hate the hair. I keep thinking it's put up in a banana clip. And I live in fear for the day she wears it down. Perhaps I'm just too fixated on remembering her with it short. Stop. I am not complaining. More Winona, please. More Winona, more Winona.


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Sunday, 5 February 2012
Natural Dyeing
One of my intentions for 2012 is to explore natural dyeing.
I have dabbled a little, but this year I would like to take it further, experiment more & keep great notes ; - D
I currently have some lichen (Parmotrema perlatum) fermenting in an ammonia solution (1 p ammonia 2 p water)
It started off a lovely golden colour, has changed to rust & then deepened. Will I get the elusive purple? or red? Only time will tell!
I also have a pan of catkins soaking (the male parts of the Alder tree)
They gave colour into the liquid on about the third day. I plan to soak them for about a week & then simmer for an hour, before testing with a little fleece that has been treated with alum (as a mordant) to see what colour the catkins have given.
Today we had a wonderful walk. Yesterday it snowed & then rained & was bitterly cold. Today we had a thaw. As we were walking through the woods I saw this:
The dye actually running out of the female cones of the Alder trees!
I have picked some of the cones & they are steeping as I type:
It will be very interesting to see how the colour compares to the catkins.
Last but not least, I have collected a little more lichen, but I have not yet identified this one. It was abundant & I was lucky enough to find some on fallen branches.
I recently went along to a spinning workshop at The Threshing Barn
& purchased a lovely Ryeland fleece, which I scoured on a warm sunny day last week. My plan is to dye the fleece with various natural dyes & spin it into a 2 ply fingering weight & knit a Fair Isle something or other for one of the girls.
Happy Crafting!
Labels: Creativity, Natural Dyeing, Winter
1 comment:
- stefndawniy said...
wow, fascinating :o) I'll look forward to seeing how you get on and more pics :)
- 6 February 2012 at 01:44
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DigitalNeurosurgeon.com (or dign.eu in short) provides mobile apps for clinical decision support with a focus on neurosurgery and iOS. Apps are developed and tested by a neurosurgeon. The underlying philosophy is explained in this TEDx video.
New developments can be read in the blog. You can contact me using E-mail or Twitter for development or consultancy requests.
Also you'll find here my open-source BCI software and my PhD thesis.
Last but not least, you may like my open-access ebook on the Fundamentals of Clinical Data Science.


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EnviroFlight® Premium dried black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) oil is produced from oven dried larvae. All larvae are grown right here in the USA and fed a diet composed of pre-consumer by-product, AAFCO defined ingredients.
The oil is mechanically pressed out of the dry larvae, to provide a high fat oil rich in lauric acid, otherwise only found in coconut and palm kernel oils. This oil can be used in a variety of livestock, aquaculture and pet manufactured feed products.
Learn How EnviroOil™ Can Help You
General Nutrition Profiles
Documentation & Product Information
If you do not find what you are looking for please reach out to us on our Contact Us page or visit our FAQ Page
Solving a Big Problem with a Small Insect
At EnviroFlight® we aim to create and improve innovative solutions to solve one of the biggest problems: world demand for animal-derived protein doubling by 2050.
Our pilot plant opened in 2009, and since then, we have been observing and analyzing the Black Soldier Fly for its potential. Our first discovery was that Black Soldier Fly Larvae (BSFL) can be used as a high quality nutrient source for poultry, fish, pets, exotics and swine in a variety of forms.
Harnessing the power of the fly will help us feed the animals that will ultimately feed our rapidly growing population.
Additionally, because BSFL are fed pre-consumer food manufacturing leftovers and by-products, we have the potential to significantly contribute to efforts that keep food waste out of landfills, reclaiming those nutrients so they can successfully enter into the food chain! Turns out insects can help sustainably address the global issue of world hunger.
Quality, Consistency, Capacity
Our feedstock ingredients are defined by The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) ensuring a premium product, and our feed and fertilizer products are registered with the appropriate State Departments of Agriculture and the FDA.
By implementing best practices for our feed ingredients, animal care, and processing, we are able to manufacture balanced, high-performance products.
Leveraging years of applied research and development in our Ohio pilot plant, our animal-rearing and manufacturing systems and practices have been designed for mass production. EnviroFlight opened the first U.S. commercial-scale production facility in 2019, which employs a commercial BSFL platform and provides a sustainable source of sought-after high-quality nutrients for the pet food, poultry, aquaculture, livestock, young animal and exotic feed industries.
FSMA Compliant
Strict Standards
Quality, Capacity and Consistency. From quality ingredients in our feedstock to consistent and safe processing, EnviroFlight® holds our entire operation to strict standards. Our Yellow Springs, Ohio pilot plant and our Maysville, Kentucky commercial facility are routinely inspected and approved by the respective Ohio and Kentucky Departments of Agriculture, and are fully compliant with the standards established by the US Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).
Feed Stock Quality
All our feedstock ingredients meet AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) guidelines – the same ones required for all livestock raised in the U.S. We use pre-consumer product streams, and our feedstock ensures a high-quality black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) feed produced in the largest commercial-scale BSFL production facility in the United States.


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The Central Connecticut volleyball team earned its first victory of the season over Saint Francis (PA) on Saturday afternoon. The Blue Devils (1-2) won three straight sets after dropping the opening frame to the Red Flash (2-1). Seniors Emily Cochran and Blaike King combined for 26 kills in the victory.
Ahead two sets to one, but trailing 22-21 in the fourth set, Cochran delivered a kill to tie the score and sophomore Rachel Dunlap and freshman Makenna Lommori followed with a block to put the Blue devils ahead for good. Another kill by Cochran and an attack error by Saint Francis put the match away, 25-22.
After dropping the opening set (18-25), the Blue Devils won the second set (25-19) behind four kills from King and seven assists by Lommori. Lommori finished the match with a team-high 21 assists.
Cochran led the offense with four kills in the third set (25-22). Defensively, sophomore Brittany Schumacher contributed six digs in a closely contested set.
Cochran finished with a team-high 14 kills. King was close behind with 12 kills in the match. Senior Jamie Rademacher and Dunlap each contributed six kills in the match and both posted a hitting percentage above .330 on the day.
Defensively, Dunlap dominated the net with a pair of solo blocks, while chipping in on seven others. As a team the Blue Devils posted 11.5 blocks in the match. Schumacher posted a game-high 16 digs and was joined in double-digits by freshman Ashley Lenington who had 10.
The Blue Devils return to action on Wednesday night at Hartford. On Friday, August 31, CCSU will host the first day of the CCSU Invitational at Detrick Gym.
Schumacher Named All-Tournament
Sophomore libero Brittany Schumacher was selected to the All-Tournament team following the conclusion of play on Saturday. Schumacher was the only Blue Devils to make the team. She started all three matches of the West Virginia Mountaineer Invitational and totaled 46 digs. Her total worked out to a 4.18 dig/set average, while making just two reception errors. In addition, she recorded three service aces.


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Hi All,
We just posted a new exe 8.0.015o with a new feature. It adds the ability to use a verse list file as a search limit. It is accessed just like custom search limits on the command line. For example from the command line:
l test.vls or
limit test.vls
will use the vls file as a search limit. It can be slow for files with lots of verses when the VLS file version is different from the search version because of verse mapping, but the remapping is buffered so it will speed up for subsequent searches.
The motivation was a user asking to sort the results list according to actual text of the hits. This can be done using this feature in a roundabout way:
1. Do the search
2. Export the hits to both a VLS and a word list IEL file. The former is done via the main window FILE menu. The latter is done using the Word List Manager.
3. Use the VLS file to set limits
4. Click on each hit in the word list file inside the Word List Manager to see where they were found.
The changes were rather significant to implement this so we need to be on the watch for problems. Let us know if you have any problems.


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EquipNet is the world's leading provider of used reactors. Our exclusive contracts with our clients yield a wide range of used reactors from a number of respected OEMs, including Pfaudler, Abec, De Dietrich, Brighton Corp, Applikon, Kinetic Systems, and many others. EquipNet is constantly receiving used reactors in various models and gallon sizes. If you don't see the used reactor that you're looking for, call one of our representatives and we'll find it for you. We can also source the right tooling and change parts that you need through our huge network of corporate clients from around the globe.
Although we sell a number of used reactors from various respected OEMs, we're especially well known for selling many Pfaudler and De Dietrich glass-lined reactors of varying capacities. Pfaudler invented glass-lined steel and is used extensively all over the world. EquipNet carries a range of used Pfaudler and De Dietrich equipment, including used glass lined reactors and much more.


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Uniquely Me!
By Brian Hayes
How much information does it take to single out one person among billions?
How much information does it take to single out one person among billions?
Suppose you fill out a survey online, with the assurance that your answers will remain anonymous. The questionnaire doesn't record your name and address, but it does ask for some demographic information: your date of birth, your zip code, and your gender. What are the chances you could be identified from those three facts alone? You can answer this question for yourself at the website http://aboutmyinfo.org, which was set up by Latanya Sweeney of Harvard University. In my case, the site reports that I am probably the only male born on December 10, 1949, living in zip code 02144. Thus three items of not-very-intimate information—gender, zip, birth date—reveal enough to pick me out of a crowd.
Ideas about identity, privacy, and anonymity are changing fast in this era of big data and social networks. At the deepest level, identity is all about the sense of self—the answer to the question "Who am I?" Each of us also has a biological identity (manifested in fingerprints, facial features, DNA sequences) and a legal identity (name, Social Security number, signature, and so on). Now we also have a data identity, defined by various combinations of traits that distinguish us from the rest of humanity. If you ask me to identify myself, I will not answer "M, 02144, 12/10/49"; and yet, by the combinatorics of uniqueness, I am that person as much as I am "Brian Hayes." Maybe more so: Dozens of people share my name.
I am my browser history. The list of URLs I have visited is surely unique to me, just as my fingerprints are.
In the online world we have still more identities, most of them unknown even to ourselves. For example, I am my web browser history. The list of URLs I have visited in the past week or the past month is surely unique to me, just as my fingerprints are. I could even be identified by the list of fonts available to my web browser—and a few companies make use of such facts to track individuals as they wander from site to site across the web.
When I first heard about Latanya Sweeney's demonstration that gender, zip code, and birth date are enough to identify many Americans, I found the result surprising, but the arithmetic is straightforward. For a back-of-the-envelope calculation, assume there are 300 million people in the United States, half male and half female, and that they are evenly distributed over 30,000 zip codes and 36,500 possible birth dates. (I am ignoring leap years and centenarians.) Each zip code has 5,000 male residents and 5,000 females. The question then becomes: If each of 5,000 people has a birth date chosen at random from 36,500 possibilities, how many will wind up with a date not shared by any other member of the group? The mathematically expected number is 4,360, or 87 percent.
The foregoing calculation is only a crude approximation. The real U.S. population is not distributed uniformly either by age or zip code. People in larger cohorts and more populous areas can more easily hide in the crowd. Philippe Golle of the Palo Alto Research Center has published an estimate of identifiability based on census data. He finds that the proportion of people with a unique combination of gender, zip code, and date of birth is a little over 60 percent.
Sweeney began her work on "re-identification" in the 1990s, when she was a graduate student at MIT. Her particular concern was the privacy of medical data. In 1997 she examined a batch of hospital documents released for statistical purposes and was able to identify the records of William Weld, a former governor of Massachusetts. The anonymized data listed each patient's gender, five-digit zip code, and date of birth, which Sweeney cross-linked with voter registration rolls. (Weld confirmed that the records were his.)
Partly in reaction to this incident, the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 2003 established guidelines for guarding patient confidentiality. In general, aggregated medical data must not reveal exact dates of birth or precise locations.
In a recent critique of Sweeney's re-identification work, Daniel C. Barth-Jones of Columbia University points out that a combination of attributes can't be proved unique without a "perfect population register," which lists the corresponding attributes of every person in the population. A perfect register is seldom available. Voter rolls are not even close to complete because not everyone votes. In the absence of a perfect register, an identification is a matter of probabilities—an assertion that coincidence is unlikely but not impossible.
The same argument applies to other identifying traits. I can't be certain that my fingerprints or my DNA are unique because I can't compare them with everyone else's. Nevertheless, such biometric markers are used routinely in contexts where misidentification would have the gravest consequences. Of course the probability of uniqueness for fingerprints is thought to be very high—certainly higher than the 60 percent calculated for a combination of gender, zip code, and birth date. One hopes that no one will be sent to jail on the basis of a match to those three facts.
The standard of proof is quite different when the aim is preserving privacy rather than convicting an accused criminal. If you promise confidentiality to the subjects of a medical experiment, even a tentative identification represents a breach of trust.
Last year Sweeney and two colleagues published a follow-up study based on documents from the Personal Genome Project, where people voluntarily post their own genomic data for public access, annotated with whatever personal information they choose to disclose. Among 579 files that included gender, zip code, and birth date, Sweeney's group was able to match 130 to unique entries in voter lists; the Genome Project administrators confirmed that at least 121 of those names were correct.
In some contexts, matching unique data to a conventional identifier such as a name and address is beside the point. An Internet advertiser, for example, can make excellent use of a profile that reveals your interests and activities, even though the data are not linked to you by name. Indeed, the advertiser may prefer such "anonymous" data because there are fewer legal constraints on its collection and use.
On the Internet, they say, nobody knows you're a dog. But everything else about you becomes marketing data for sale or trade.
Sharing information is what the Internet is all about, but most of us would like to retain some measure of control over the process. In particular, when you visit a website that doesn't require you to log in with a user name and password, you might think you could remain anonymous. But some sites go to extraordinary lengths to assign you a uniquely identifying profile.
One notorious technique is called history sniffing. Web browsers keep a list of visited URLs for the convenience of the user; the list is not supposed to be available to the websites you visit. But ingenious programmers have found ways to probe the list's content.
The operator of a website might be eager to peer into your history list for several reasons. For example, an online merchant might like to know if you have been shopping the competition. But even if the specific sites on the list are not of interest, the spectrum of yes-or-no responses can serve as an identifying fingerprint. What are the odds that your browsing history sets you apart from all others? Lukasz Olejnik of INRIA Grenoble and two colleagues collected history profiles from consenting volunteers. Out of 223,000 profiles in which they were able to detect at least four visited sites, 98 percent of the profiles were unique.
In spite of these countermeasures, history sniffing has not disappeared. Last year a company called Dataium was accused of using history sniffing (among other techniques) to track the activities of automobile shoppers across 10,000 websites; in a negotiated settlement, Dataium agreed to abandon the practice. An earlier case against the advertising network Epic Marketplace reached a similar conclusion.
Meanwhile, other devious history-sniffing methods have come along. Instead of examining the format of a link, a program can measure the time needed to load an image from a site; a quick response to the request probably indicates that the image was already present in your browser's memory cache following a recent visit.
The history list is not the only part of a browser that a nosy website might try to sniff at. Peter Eckersley of the Electronic Frontier Foundation has cataloged a number of other browser properties that might also serve as identifiers. An intrusive program can enumerate the plug-ins or extensions installed in the browser, probe the list of fonts available for displaying text, or count the pixels on the computer's screen.
Are plug-ins, fonts, and other such attributes of a web browser likely to provide a uniquely identifying portrait? This might seem unlikely, in that computers ship with built-in fonts, and browsers come with a standard set of plug-ins, and many users never meddle in such technical arcana. Eckersley investigated the question by experiment. Among volunteers who visited a website set up to perform profiling, he found that almost 84 percent of browsers "had an instantaneously unique fingerprint." You can check your own browser configuration at https://panopticlick.eff.org. When I visited recently, the site reported: "Your browser fingerprint appears to be unique among the 3,760,699 tested so far."
A group of investigators at the Catholic University of Leuven have surveyed a million websites to see how many are exploiting intrusive technologies such as font sniffing. The reassuring news is that only a tiny fraction of the sites—perhaps one in a thousand—seem to be engaging in the most devious practices. On the other hand, a few of those sites are apparently large and popular ones.
Browser profiling is not always done for nefarious purposes. A bank might use a browser fingerprint to trigger extra security precautions when a customer logs in from an unfamiliar location. But even when the aims are legitimate, companies tend to be secretive about the practice. One prominent website that appears to engage in browser fingerprinting is the Skype telephone service. Skype's 5,000-word privacy statement does not clearly disclose that fact.
The tracking methods I have described here are especially sneaky, but they are hardly the only threats to personal privacy on the Internet. Most tracking relies on "cookies" (text that a website can store in your browser) and "beacons" (links to images or other objects that reveal your arrival on a web page). The more elaborate sniffing methods may be aimed primarily at those who block cookies and beacons.
Fifteen years ago, when the public Internet was still young, a Silicon Valley executive dismissed concerns about privacy in online life. "You have zero privacy anyway," he said. "Get over it." The remark was jarring at the time, but it seems that many of us have gotten over it—or else given in to it.
For a major segment of the population, the urgent concern is not privacy but sharing: We tweet, we link in, we update our status. Although these communications are meant for a select audience, most people understand that everything they post on a social network is also visible to the operators of that network, and perhaps to others. It's a bargain they make willingly: A fifth of humanity is on Facebook. But no one willingly submits to font sniffing and other surreptitious profiling schemes.
Plugging such privacy leaks is hard. The root of the problem is that each of us really is unique, not only in deep matters of body and mind but even in our most trivial attributes, such as the cruft we've squirreled away over the years in dusty corners of a computer disk. In a world where every tiny idiosyncrasy can be cataloged and filed away in milliseconds, it's all too easy to compile a unique fingerprint. Just 33 bits of information is enough to single out any one person from the world population of 7.1 billion.
In some contexts, thoughtful attention to counting those bits has helped to draw a curtain of discretion over personal data. The HIPAA regulations for medical data are an example, and the Census Bureau has similar policies. For example, population breakdowns by race and sex are not released for the smallest geographic divisions, and various kinds of random noise are added to some tabulations. The study of such measures—asking how best to protect individual identity without impairing the research value of the statistics—has grown into a thriving minidiscipline called differential privacy.
Perhaps some variant of the same approach can be made to work for everyday life online. Website designers would still get enough information about the browser environment to present information effectively, but they wouldn't get 33 bits.
Click "American Scientist" to access home page


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2013 has been a year of mixed fortunes for Nigerian education.
I recall with much grief the series of school shootings that took place in Borno and Yobe states; tens of young Nigerians cruelly cut down in their hostels and classrooms.
2013 was also the year the 'A World At School' campaign gained prominence. The campaign seeks to draw attention to the fact that Nigeria has the largest number of out-of-school children in the entire world. (More than ten million Nigerian children who should be in school are not getting an education).
To the government's credit an ambitious Almajiri education scheme has been put in place. This year the Federal government built and handed over tens of Almajiri Model Schools to state governments. As part of this Scheme there's a commendable focus on girl-child education.
This was also the year of the five-month ASUU strike. Just when we thought we had put lengthy University strikes behind us, this happened; putting the lives of our youth on hold seemingly indefinitely. Even though the strike ended up extracting, from the government, an unprecedented commitment to funding our public Universities, one wishes those gains didn't have to come at so high a price, for our youth.
Amidst all the turmoil in our education – much cause, no doubt, for sober reflection – I'd like to make a proposal.
In making this proposal it should be taken for granted that I'm also offering my full commitment to supporting the realisation of what I'm proposing.
I'd like to make a call for a Nigerian education summit, to bring all concerned parties to the discussion table, to craft a new vision for bringing education to Nigeria's teeming youth population.
The question that immediately arises is this: why another summit? To what end?
My answer would be: how about a different kind of education summit.
How about a summit that places, at the forefront of proceedings, the most important stakeholders in education – the students themselves.
I say this because I'm aware that education summits are not a novel idea in Nigeria. A Google search will throw up a number of summits, at state, regional and national levels, in recent years.
What all these summits have in common is that they focus on bringing together governments, teachers unions, and other adult stakeholders.
But the students, who are the ones for whom education systems should exist, are kept outside the door, or on the margins. Our summits become gatherings of policy makers speaking to other policy makers and implementers.
Perhaps, in the spirit of a new year, we can allow ourselves to try a new idea: an education summit in which the policy makers and education experts actually come to listen to the students, the stakeholders who most intensely feel the pinch of the system's failings and shortcomings.
I'm very much convinced that there can be no significant improvement in the state of education in Nigeria without the active input of students.
In August my office put out a call for submissions for an essay contest on Education Solutions for Nigeria. We got more than 600 entries from Nigerian students within and outside the country. Hundreds of young Nigerians boldly making their voices heard about the education system they're daily forced to contend with.
The short excerpt below, from one of the winning entries (by Emeka Ezekwesiri, Law, University of Ibadan), highlights the importance of empowering students, within and outside the classroom.
In my secondary school, Federal Government College Ohafia, in 2006 the then newly appointed vice principal academic introduced a policy, where secretly appointed students in each class kept an attendance sheet for teachers, where they recorded teachers attendance based on five criteria; came on time and taught, came early but left early, came late but taught, came late and left early, absent. These students were unknown to the class and teachers but the policy was publicly announced in order for teachers to be aware. These students were concealed to prevent victimization. The teachers were effectively disciplined after verification of the reported conduct. Through this monitoring scheme, teachers became very serious to the amazement of students, who were forced to also become serious.
Clearly, we need to re-design Nigeria's education systems in a way that puts some power in the hands of students, allows them to feel like equal and valued parties in the matrix of learning and knowledge dissemination.
And what better way to start this than by giving these students a prominent place in a gathering that aims to chart a new future for Nigerian education.
It is my dream that someday in the near future, when the Federal Government and Teachers' Unions like ASUU are coming together to discuss critical education issues, the wisdom and insight of our students will be eagerly sought and welcomed in the conversation. That we will no longer carry on as though our students are marginal partners in education.
It is my belief that we can't call them the future of our country, and yet persist in trying to keep them out of the most important conversations required to prepare them to become that future.


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I suppose after a few e-mails asking if I've somehow fallen off the face of the earth, I should probably update.
Life's been crazy and exciting the past week or so. A few things from the highlight reel:
- My wife finally found her biological mother! This is huge for a number of reasons:
- The woman that "raised" my wife (if you can call it that) has never gotten along with my wife too well. Let's just say "it's kinda complicated."
- My wife now has some knowledge of her genetic medical history.
- After so much searching, this gives my wife some happiness and she's found a REAL MOTHER that cares for her and loves her. No "awkward moment of silence" or "mixed feelings" on either side.
- I am helping some friends build a huge 10'x12' Labyrinth that will be controlled by a Nintendo Wii balance board. You can read more about it here. My part will be the computer that ties the different elements of this project together. While I'm not getting my hands dirty (or cut up) in the construction process, I will hopefully come up with a reliable and easy-to-use "appliance" style computer that can be powered on and off at will by the Science City staff without any elaborate startup or shutdown procedure.
- Cowtown Computer Congress has its grand opening ceremonies next week. As well as being on the build-out team that is preparing the local Technology Co-Op's "hackerspace" for use, I am also giving at least two presentations. Each of those presentations requires study, collaboration, and rehearsal. If you're an entrepeneur, geek, artist, crafter, builder, tinkerer or hacker in the Kansas City area, you should check out CCCKC. "Computer" is in the name, but it's more a collective of technical minds from physical, digital and mechanical standpoints.
- I will probably have The Twelve fixed up soon! That means more full commutes, more photos, and hopefully more recreational riding. The Mountain Goat isn't meant for this, but it's all I've got right now.
Random Tunage:
Hybrid - Sinequanon
Way Out West - Melt


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As customers begin to recognize large productivity gains with Gmail, Google Docs and the rest of Google Apps, they frequently ask when they'll be able to use services like Google Voice, Reader, Blogger and AdWords with their Google Apps accounts. We've steadily added new functionality to Google Apps and recently added support for third-party apps, but we're thrilled to swing the floodgates of new functionality wide open now. Starting today, customers worldwide can access a full spectrum of services from Google—including more than 60 productivity-boosting applications that extend far beyond any traditional software suite.
Coupled with the ability for administrators to provide different sets of applications to different groups of users, the possibilities for empowering workers in new ways are remarkable. For example, you could equip your marketing team with Picasa Web Albums so they can collect and share photos from customer appreciation events, and let that team publish your company's blog with Blogger. Services like iGoogle and Alerts, on the other hand, may be broadly useful, and could be enabled for your whole organization.
Existing customers can transition at their own pace over the next couple months to the new infrastructure supporting these applications from the administrative control panel. New customers will automatically have the new infrastructure. The additional services are not covered by the Google Apps SLA or telephone support, but we'll be watching for feedback how we can make these new applications even more useful.
In tandem with this big improvement, we're also simplifying the names of the versions of Google Apps. Here's how we now refer to our line-up:
§ Google Apps is our free service geared towards families, entrepreneurs and other groups up to 50 users.
§ Google Apps for Business offers 25GB of email storage per user, a 99.9% uptime guarantee, data migration capabilities, advanced management tools, telephone support, added security features and more, all for $50 per user per year.
§ Google Apps for Government is FISMA certified and designed with local, state and federal agencies in mind.
§ Google Apps for Education offers many benefits of Google Apps for Business, but at no cost to schools, universities and qualifying non-profits.
The team has worked hard to unlock all of this new functionality for our customers, and we think many of these new applications will become indispensable within your organization. To help get you started, each day the Google Enterprise Blog will profile how your organization could put a different application to use. The first post tomorrow will focus on Google Reader, so visit the Enterprise Blog to follow the series.
Posted by Derek Parham, Lead Software Engineer, Google Apps


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SUMMARY: Cartridge
Quantity in stock: 0
Closed-center flow divider/combiners are sliding-spool, pressure-compensated devices used to split flow in one direction and combine flow in the opposite direction. These valves may be used to accurately control two or more cylinders or hydraulic motors where bidirectional operation is required.
- All flow divider and divider/combiner cartridges are physically interchangeable (i.e. same flow path, same cavity for a given frame size).
- Operating characteristics cause the leg of the circuit with the greatest load to receive the higher percentage of flow in dividing mode. If a rigid mechanism is used to tie actuators together, the lead actuator may pull the lagging actuator and cause it to cavitate.
- In combining mode, compensating characteristics will cause the leg of the circuit with the lowest load to receive the higher percentage of flow. If a synchronization feature is not included, an additive accuracy error will be experienced with each full stroke of the actuator.
- In applications involving rigid mechanisms between multiple actuators, operating inaccuracy will cause the eventual lock-up of the system. If the mechanical structure is not designed to allow for the operating inaccuracy inherent in the valve, damage may occur.
- In motor circuits, rigid frames or mechanisms that tie motors together, and/or complete mechanical synchronized motion of the output shaft of the motors, either by wheels to the pavement or sprockets to conveyors, will contribute to cavitation, lock-up and/or pressure intensification.
- Variations in speed and lock-up can be attributed to differences in motor displacement, motor leakage, wheel diameter variance and friction of wheels on the driving surface.
- Extreme pressure intensification can occur on multiple wheel drive vehicles.
- Flow between ports is limited to spool leakage. This does not provide leak proof holding capability, but can be useful in minimizing cross flow and drift.
- Divisional and combining accuracy are equal.
- Below the minimum flow rating there is not enough flow for the valve to modulate. It is effectively a tee. If flow starts at zero and rises, there will be no dividing or combining control until the flow reaches the minimum rating.
- Incorporates the Sun floating style construction to minimize the possibility of internal parts binding due to excessive installation torque and/or cavity/cartridge machining variations.
|12 - 60 gpm45 - 240 L/min.
|Maximum Operating Pressure
|5000 psi350 bar
|Divisional Accuracy at Minimum Input Flow
|50% ±4.5%50% ±4.5%
|Divisional Accuracy at Max Input Flow
|50% ±2.5%50% ±2.5%
|Pressure Drop at Minimum Rated Input Flow
|30 psi2 bar
|Pressure Drop at Maximum Rated Input Flow
|350 psi24 bar
|Valve Hex Size
|1 5/8 in.41,3 mm
|Valve Installation Torque
|350 - 375 lbf ft475 - 508 Nm
|Model Weight
|2.80 lb1,30 kg
|Seal kit - Cartridge
|Viton: 990-034-006
Show FAQ
|How big is a drop of hydraulic oil?
|There are exactly 250 Sun drops in a cubic inch or 15 in a cc.
|Can I synchronize 2 cylinders with Sun's divider-combiner?
|No. Synchronizing 2 cylinders hydraulically is a real problem. A real problem is one which has no solution. Our valves with the synchronizing feature don't synchronize, they provide an error correction at each end of the stroke when the leading cylinder bottoms out. Another means of error correction is cross-port reliefs.
|How has Sun solved the hook breaking problem?
|We eliminated the hooks. We have a 1 piece spool.
|Most of Sun's divider-combiners will do better than the published specs, won't they?
|No. Almost all of the error percentage we publish is due to flow forces. Even with a mechanically perfect valve you would see most of the variation.
|Most of the dividing-combining inaccuracies will average out, won't they?
|Absolutely not. The bell curve does not apply here. In the dividing mode the high pressure leg gets the higher flow and in the combining mode the high pressure leg is the lower flow......every time. The inaccuracies are always there and they accumulate. The high pressure leg goes up farther and comes down less, every time.
|What is the synchronizing feature?
|It is a static error correction feature. When any one of the 3 ports of a divider/combiner with the synchronizing feature is blocked, flow is possible between the other 2 ports. This "synchronizing" flow is called out in the performance chart and is pressure compensated.When the leading actuator comes to a stop, the other actuator can catch up at a rate determined by the "synchronizing" flow.When the actuators are stopped mid-stroke (port 3 blocked), oil can flow from the high pressure leg to the low pressure leg at a rate determined by the "synchronizing" flow.The "synchronizing" flow does not exist until one port is blocked.The "synchronizing" feature is most effective on applications where the actuators bottom out at at least one end of their strokes.
|Why am I getting a higher inaccuracy than Sun claims?
|We test every cartridge in 16 modes. High pressure, low pressure, high flow, low flow, divide, and combine.....both legs. What you are probably seeing is the error that occurs as the flow is ramping up to the minimum rated flow. Below the minimum rated flow the valve does not see enough flow to operate correctly.
|Why does Sun use 2 slip orifices?
|The divider/combiner is an FSDH XAN. Input flow is 15 gpm (57 L/min.). This example depicts orifices that slip about 3 gpm (12 L/min.) at 3000 psi (210 bar) pressure differential between legs. The slip conditions between the 2 examples are the same...please be assured of this. Each orifice on the right is twice the area of the orifice on the left.The pressure drop through the left example is 200 psi (14 bar), the drop through the right example is 130 psi (9 bar).
|How big do my slip orifices have to be?
|With a typical steered axle application the outside wheels go 15% to 20% farther than the inside wheels. As to how big your slip orifices need to be, there is no correct answer and you are the one that needs to make the compromise. If they are too big you will not have the traction you need at low speeds and if they are too small you will not be able to turn at higher speeds.


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Dead or Alive 5 Review
It's been a great year for 3D fighting fans. 2012 has seen the release of new entries for SoulCalibur, Virtua Fighter, Tekken, and now DOA with Dead or Alive 5. Having played all of these games, plus their predecessors, I can honestly say that DOA 5 feels the most like what you'd expect a current-gen game to be. It doesn't feel like a higher-res version of something from the prior generation, and delivers the best and most accessible entry in the series yet.
DOA 4 was very good, but also incredibly tough – Tecmo definitely listened to complaints because this (and to be fair, Dimensions before it) don't just set out to kill you. They've taken a more traditional fighting game approach to things as opposed to say, a Ninja Gaiden approach that is all about challenge. There's plenty of challenge here, but you're eased into it. You can choose to play offline in a ton of modes. You've got the usual arcade mode, a survival mode, time attack, a training mode, and tag team versions of each. Survival mode is my favorite of the bunch since arcade doesn't have a story and just takes more time. It forces you to fight smart since your health bar doesn't quite refill between battles, and pits you against ten foes one after the other. You've got a handful of difficulty options to choose from, and it's definitely best to work your way up to avoid feeling overwhelmed. You'll struggle, then you'll beat eight enemies, then nine, then you absolutely won't be able to stop until you beat the tenth foe. It's exhilarating and provides some of the most fun in the game. There's also a lot of fun to be had just doing versus matches, saving replays, and taking dazzling-looking snapshots from them. Like a photo mode in a racing game, there's something special about nabbing that perfect shot.
Like DOA: Dimensions for the 3DS, DOA 5 focuses on telling a very long tale that encompasses as much of the cast as humanly possible and actually develops the characters to some degree – or at least explains who they are and what their motivations are. For many, it seems to be "you are in shape and within ten feet of me, SO WE MUST FIGHT", which I'm fine with since there are other, far more wacky things like Zack blasting into a circus tent as a human cannonball to invite two fighters to the tourney. The story mode is a fine mix of serious and silly, and is impossible to not enjoy. For goodness sake, what other story mode is going to give you cloning and a guy with a Christmas light afro outfit? The acting in it is perfect too – like the story, it's great B-movie fare that is somewhat self-aware, but not TOO self-aware. Beyond being entertaining to watch, the story mode allows you to unlock titles for yourself, new characters (like a few from the VF series), and teaches you the finer points of the game by giving you optional missions to complete (like countering X amount of times within a fight) in addition to beating your opponent.
So you've got tons to do offline, and online lets you do the normal ranked or unranked battles in either one on one or tag team play, and you can also take part in a lobby-based tournament with up to 16 players. There's some outstanding integration between offline and online play because you can add people you've fought online to a list, and then they can challenge you (if you leave the option on) to a battle while you're offline. It's basically the same as being in the arcade and having a second player join in, but I can't recall it being done like this in a home fighting game. The day one patch has seemingly remedied the lag issues I've had for about a week with playing it online, and it's amazing how big a difference that made. Before, you never knew if you'd have a lag-free experience or not. Now, one can rely on having one most of the time, as opposed to occasionally like before.
The stages themselves have been a selling point since the second game, and what that game began with danger zones and multiple tiers is continued on nicely here. Every stage doesn't just have a distinct look, but requires you to play slightly differently. The wrestling ring area for example has ropes you can spring off of if you're light enough, while the rig stage is surrounded by fire and giant things that can explode. The military warzone has MISSILES BEING LAUNCHED AT YOU if you land in the wrong spot, so avoid doing that, while the raft stage might just be the most exciting since it starts off serene, and can then quickly escalate into you and your opponent zooming down a river with a broken part of the raft serving as something you can be thrown past and resulting in one of many possible giant falls in the game.
The DOA games have always been heralded for looking great, and this one is no exception. The newly redesigned character models mostly look human now instead of like action figures. With that change comes a more realistic flow for clothing, and little touches like dirt building on the characters as a fight wears on. It's a little thing, but really impressive to see in action and of course, the backgrounds themselves are still gorgeous with a ton of stuff going on. They're all intricately-detailed too, and seeing stuff like each individual pipe fall down in one stage and then leading to more craziness goes on remains impressive every time you see it.
Move animations are outstanding and the fluidity of counters is the best in the business. From the slick animation of things like Hiroshi Tanahashi's Slingblade for Lisa to the more impactful offense like Bass's punches or Mila's slams into walls, everything seems exactly as it should. Transition animations are great, and seeing Mila go from a powerslam to an armbar, or tackle into a mount with some ground and pound never ceases to amaze me. Brad Wong's offense is probably the most impressive to look at because there's so much going on with every part of his body and yet the animations are unbelievably smooth. They didn't even try and cut corners when you do stuff like kick him into a handstand – he falls (or flies) as he should…unless you use something super powerful and then he flies many, many feet in the air.
DOA 5's audio is great overall. The music is fine, but doesn't really stick with you much afterwards. I love the sound effect work here though. The sound of flames going off in the background of one stage really adds to the intensity and pretty much every stage benefits from little atmospheric touches like that. They go a long way to truly make each stage stand out from the others and not just feel like you could be fighting in any area and it wouldn't really matter because the only thing that really separates them is how the areas look, with nothing really affecting the game to a greater degree than that.
Overall, Dead or Alive 5 is not only the best entry in the series yet, but my favorite fighting game this generation. It's got the smoothest gameplay of anything out there now and delivers the goods online more often than not. It also raises the bar for graphics in fighters and has some great animation too. The story mode's a blast to play through and provides the right mix of drama and B-movie wackiness to make it fun to get through despite its epic length. If you've ever loved the series before, make this a part of your collection ASAP, and if you've been turned off by it before, at least give it a rental – I'm positive it'll win you over.
Reviewed By: Jeremy Peeples
Publisher: Tecmo Koei
Rating: 95%
This review is based on the Xbox 360 version of Dead or Alive 5 provided by Tecmo Koei.


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Obama, Gates and CNN Don't Ask or Tell the Truth!
December 27, 2010
Like almost every discussion on earth at present, the topic of gays serving in the military is convoluted. The level of false information surrounding this debate is staggering and people have to decide if it is due to mass gross ignorance or intentional misdirection on the related facts. In short, "Don't Ask – Don't Tell" bars military command from "asking about sexual orientation" absent any evidence of wrongdoing associated with military code – and bars gay service members from "telling their sexual orientation," or serving in the open.
The policy does not make openly serving in the military legal for gays.
However, CNN Washington Bureau is reporting this morning – "Failing to repeal the law (DADT) prohibiting openly gay and lesbian people from serving in the military leaves the services vulnerable to the possibility the courts will order an immediate and likely chaotic end to the policy, Defense Secretary Robert Gates told reporters Friday."
This is the opening paragraph in the CNN report and the premise upon which the discussion is being held. Gates, speaking aboard an aircraft as he traveled in the Middle East, said that "my greatest worry will be that we are at the mercy of the courts and all of the lack of predictability that that entails." Gates premise is factually incorrect from the start, on the following basis:
So, the push to repeal DADT for the reasons stated makes no sense whatsoever. On this basis, one must ask, why the big push for repeal? Why is Gates worried about courts which have no such authority?
To a gay person serving or hoping to serve in the US Military, I'm sure that Gay Rights is a huge issue. But in the grander scheme of things, as a nation at war and one with many internal challenges as well, threatening the safety, security, sovereignty and stability of the USA , I'm not sure it's our highest priority of the day.
Current national threat assessments place the risk of a terror strike on US soil over the next 30-90 days at 100%... Yet this news is missing from the CNN headlines and instead, Gay Rights take priority above the fold.
If DADT were to be repealed, long-standing military code denying gays the right to serve in the military in or out of the closet would return as the law of the land on the matter. DADT did not alter military code. It stopped the aggressive pursuit and prosecution of gays in the military, by military command. The code reads as follows:
In other words - NO gays in the military, in the open or otherwise. Repealing DADT will NOT make openly serving in the military legal for gays. So, why are gays so anxious to repeal the Clinton era mandate, Don't Ask – Don't Tell?
The civilian courts have no authority over the US Military or military code. So, why is DOD Secretary Gates worried about what some judge might say on the matter?
Last but not least, how could CNN and so many others get their facts so wrong on the issue?
Do they all really want to return to open pursuit and prosecution of gays currently serving, and restrict new recruiting efforts to only heterosexual applicants? This would be the result of repealing DADT.
This thing doesn't add up…
Congress is the only branch of government that has the constitutional authority of military oversight and Congress did not pass DADT and is refusing to review or repeal DADT at present. Neither the judicial or executive branch has any constitutional authority on the subject.
Gates is not subject to the whims of a federal judge somewhere, who hopes to press Gay Rights from the bench. Is Gates seeking the power to once again pursue and prosecute homosexual members of the military?
Why is CNN not asking any of these questions?
The decision concerning whether or not gays should be allowed to openly serve in the military must be left to experts in that specialized field who must lead young men and women in battle. Nobody else is qualified to answer the question, nor do they even have a dog in the fight.
But the discussion must take place on factual grounds and I am deeply troubled that the discussion is clearly taking place on false premises…
I'm even more concerned that our Secretary of Defense, charged with protecting and preserving the US Constitution, doesn't seem to know what the Constitution says on the matter. How about you?


text: Increased speed, efficiency, and profitability are three major benefits Abid Hussain has seen from using cloud technologies in his law practice. Operating a solo, mobile law practice serving both New Orleans and Dallas, Hussain led the August 23rd Cloud Technologies that Level the Playing Field CLE. During the one hour CLE he showed how he uses cloud technology in his small firm while exploring each facet with explanations of practical applications. In New Orleans one is all too aware of the dangers posed to hardware, servers, paper files, and so forth during hurricane season. The ease of being able to work anywhere is certainly appealing, but as many are still learning what exactly the cloud is, there is the important question of safety, information ownership, and accessibility. Hussain expects that state bars will begin developing policies for lawyers using cloud technology, which may even delve into password specifications as he reminded attendees that data stored on the cloud is as safe as the password used to protect it. Encryption services are an added safety protection, but he reminded lawyers that the shift towards more cloud technologies is inevitable so it is important to start learning and understanding how it can benefit one's law practice.


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3 seriously injured in fire at State Department headquarters in D.C.
WASHINGTON -- Authorities say a fire broke out at the State Department headquarters in Washington, seriously injuring three maintenance workers.
D.C. Fire and EMS spokesman Lon Walls said the fire started at around 11 a.m. Saturday in the ductwork on the 7th floor. Workers were able to put out the fire before firefighters arrived, but not before three people had suffered burns.
Walls said one person suffered life-threatening injuries and two others had serious but non-life-threatening injuries. All three were taken to Washington Hospital Center.
State department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the fire began during routine maintenance to a mechanical area of the building. She said the building was briefly evacuated and then reopened.


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Need a little inspiration for your Halloween costume this year? Try this Popular Products: Silver 1920s Dress, Forrest Gump Halloween Costume Kids, Halloween Classroom Games For 4th Grade, Cupcakes Halloween Buttercream, By Special Occasions Dresses - compare prices and find the best Halloween Deals for shopping online.
MegaCostum.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or one of its affiliates.


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You don' t want the flu. Find out more about this virus and how a flu shot can keep
you from getting sick.
Note: All information on KidsHealth® is for educational purposes only.
For specific medical advice, diagnoses, and treatment, consult your doctor.
© 1995-
Images provided by The Nemours Foundation, iStock, Getty Images, Veer, Shutterstock,
and Clipart.com.


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In The Software Developer Industry, Experience Is King!
Once a computer programmer with marketable programming skills gains handson experience by building real-world, practical applications, he or she is virtually guaranteed not just any type of job … but a portable, marketable, high-paying professional career as a software developer!!
Why? Because in the software development industry, Experience is King!.
Real world, hands on, practical, computer programming experience is valued more than computer programming certifications or even computer science diplomas or college degrees!


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Cellular coverage is on its way to the remote northeast corner of Montezuma County. On Monday, the Montezuma County Commission approved high impact and special use permits, submitted by Commnet Wireless, to build a new cell tower site on Highway 145 up the Dolores River Valley.
Commissioners Gerald Koppenhafer and Larrie Rule voted in favor, with Steve Chappell absent.
The tower is to be located between Dolores and Rico, just south of Priest Gulch Campground and RV Park. The area has, until now, been a dark spot for signal reception. With few residential homes in the vicinity, Priest Gulch and nearby Circle K Ranch will be the main beneficiaries.
"Coverage will be line-of-sight, within the immediate area," County Planning Director Susan Carver said. "(The tower) will offer a sense of security to people camping, and peace of mind to the traveling public. Right now you have no cell service up that corridor. Anyone who gets a flat tire is in for a walk."
Lowell Nelson, a Denver-based real estate specialist representing Commnet, said Ernie and Frieda Allsup, trustees of the campground property, approached Commnet more than a year ago about building a tower to service seasonal campers.
Nelson said there have also been concerns about inability to contact medical responders and law enforcement quickly in the event of traffic accidents or other emergencies along that stretch of Highway 145, which can be icy in winter.
Commnet will delegate construction of the tower to a subcontractor, with a operational target date of late December, weather permitting.
The permits require the tower be no taller than 80 feet - just above the treeline - and painted green to minimize its visibility against the forest backdrop. The tower components - base frame, ballast blocks, monopole and antenna mounts - will be delivered to the site in pieces and assembled. The modular system, manufactured by machinery company CDMI, is called a "quick deploy cell site" and is designed to be unobtrusive and easy to install.
The only utility required is electricity, provided by Empire Electric Association.
Commnet will lease and operate the site, but the cell signal is accessible to all major providers including AT&T and Verizon.


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MONTREAL — A Paris hotel manager told the Montreal Gazette on Saturday that his neighbour, the manager of a bar and restaurant, confirmed to police that Montreal fugitive and suspected killer Luka Rocco Magnotta had a drink at his bar on Thursday.
Sbyibi el Bachir, manager of Hotel Studio des Batignolles in the 17th arrondissement in Paris, said in an interview that Dominique Massonneau, manager of Le Petit Batignolles, told him on Saturday that Magnotta stopped by his moderately-priced cafe — and that Massonneau had reported it to police.
The information could not be independently verified immediately.
Agence France-Presse reported that a witness told the news service that investigators looked at security tapes at Le Petit Batignolles Friday and came out with soft drink bottles, handling them gingerly, apparently in an effort to avoid erasing fingerprints.
A man who identified himself as the manager of Le Petit Batignolles — presumably Massonneau — told the Gazette: "I know nothing."
"If you want answers, call the police," he said before hanging up.
In a second, shorter call, he refused to give his name or say if he had been asked by police to stay mum.
The modestly priced bar/restaurant on Truffaut St. that specializes in Algerian cuisine is in the 17th arrondissement near Place Clichy, where many reasonably priced hotels and restaurants are located. It's also near the Parc Monceau, where joggers and families mix with others down on their luck.
Bachir said that Massonneau did not report Magnotta's presence on Thursday because he had never heard of the alleged killer accused of dismembering a recently arrived Chinese immigrant in the Cote des Neiges area of Montreal.
Asked if Montreal police are aware of the reported Magnotta sighting in Paris, Const. Raphael Bergeron said "we don't conduct business in the public arena."
"But if you are aware of this, I imagine that French authorities have also relayed that information to our investigators here . . ."
Bachir said that two police officers — he could not say from which squad — interviewed him Friday.
"They showed me a couple of pictures and wanted to know if this guy had ever been here. I told them no.
"Then they said that if ever I see him, to call them. I said yes. Obviously.
"So then I talked with Dominique today (Saturday), and that's when he told me that this guy had been at his bar on Thursday."
Bachir said that Magnotta would have stood out at his hotel, which is used heavily as a transit point by families on social assistance.
"It would not be the proper place for someone like that."
French police appear convinced that Magnotta is in their midst.
Various news outlets reported Saturday that "targeted searches" by police included the descent on Le Petit Batignolles.
AFP said that its source could not say whether investigators were going to places Magnotta may have frequented on previous visits or whether they had more recent leads.
The newspaper Liberation reported Saturday that unspecified police corps were "acting in the greatest discretion" and conducting "targeted searches."
Rumours — but few new facts — are swirling in France concerning the possible presence of Canada's most infamous fugitive.
France-Soir showed a photo of Magnotta posing in front of the Eiffel Tower at night. It was evidently taken on a previous trip, but the paper did not date the photo.
Coverage of Montreal's presumed killer, though, slipped a notch or two by Saturday, pushed aside by the story of Norwegian mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik and reports on how French tennis players are faring at the Roland Garros tournament.
On its webpage, international police organization Interpol did not expand on possible new leads beyond the Red Notice — an international wanted alert — datelined from Lyon on Thursday.
The page has Magnotta's picture, age and various aliases and summarizes his alleged crimes, but refers all further inquiries to Canadian authorities.


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Hope College President Dr. James Bultman has signed the international Talloires Declaration as a reflection of the college's ongoing commitment to environmental sustainability.
Hope College President Dr. James Bultman has signed the international Talloires Declaration as a reflection of the college's ongoing commitment to environmental sustainability.
The declaration, which President Bultman signed on Friday, Nov. 12, is a 10-point plan for incorporating sustainability and environmental literacy in teaching, research, operations and outreach at colleges and universities. Composed in 1990 at an international conference in Talloires, France, it has been signed by more than 350 university presidents and chancellors in more than 40 countries.
"The signing of the Talloires Declaration is a serious commitment. It reflects both the significant progress Hope has made in sustainability and its ongoing commitment to continue making the campus (curriculum, building, grounds, food, etc.) a more sustainable place," said Dr. Steven Bouma-Prediger, who is a professor of religion and chairperson of the department, as well as chair of the college's Sustainability Advisory Committee, a group comprised of faculty, students and administrators that coordinates sustainability initiatives at Hope.
The 10 points of the declaration plan are:
1. Increase Awareness of Environmentally Sustainable Environment;
2. Create an Institutional Culture of Sustainability;
3. Educate for Environmentally Responsible Citizenship;
4. Foster Environmental Literacy for All;
5. Practice Institutional Ecology;
6. Involve All Stakeholders;
7. Collaborate for Interdisciplinary Approaches;
8. Enhance Capacity of Primary and Secondary Schools;
9. Broaden Service and Outreach Nationally and Internationally;
10. Maintain the Movement.
Activities and practices at the college have already been addressing the 10 points in a variety of ways, ranging from the Critical Issues Symposium focusing on water and food in 2009 and 2010 respectively; to the creation of academic minors in both environmental science and environmental studies; to green purchasing policies, increased recycling and trayless dining; to membership in the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE).
Earlier this fall, Hope College moved up in the annual "College Sustainability Report Card" compiled by the Sustainable Endowments Institute. Hope has earned a B- in the report for 2011, a dramatic climb given that the college received a D- grade two years ago and a C+ for 2010. The report card evaluates institutions in nine main categories: administration, climate change and energy, food and recycling, green building, student involvement, transportation, endowment transparency, investment priorities and shareholder engagement. The college's aggregate score included As in food and recycling and in investment priorities. Hope is among the 55 percent of the 322 colleges and universities surveyed to earn a B grade. Of the remainder, 16 percent earned As, 23 percent earned Cs and six percent earned Ds.
More about the college's sustainability efforts can be found at http://green.hope.edu/


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Intuitive/Psychic Readings & WeiChi Healing Sessions/ Kevin Ross Emery
Conscious intuitive since the age of four, by the time he was 21 he had:
- worked as a professional psychic
- cleared his first ghost
- worked as a medium, medical intuitive, and with past lives
- began incorporating astrology, tarot and hands on healing into his work
- won awards for his writing
By 41 he had:
- his works available through DVD, CD, had several books out.
- been working for over a decade full time as a fulltime Spiritual Catalyst
- Had a radio show out
- Created a the Wei Chi System of Natural Healing, hands on healing system
- Had opened and run healing centers.
- Got his doctorate in Divinity
Since then:
- Traveled and taught through Europe and Central America
- Began a successful TV show that went coast to coast
- Founded a non-profit ( Web OF Light Foundation)
- And has begun hosting Web Of Life Expo- Weaving a Web of Light
Dr Kevin is here today offering both Intuitive/Psychic readings as well as Wei Chi Healing Sessions:
In an Intuitive/psychic session he goes into sacred space and asks for that information and those energies which are in you highest and best good. What unfolds may include: Medical Intuitive, Past Life, Mediumship, glimpses into the future, insights into present situations or even insights and healings of unresolved issues from your past. These sessions are done in 15,30 or 60 minute sessions ( $40/$75/150)
In a Wei Chi Healing Session* we focus on one goal, whether that is to manifest something into your life, release something out of it or to transform something within it. Then through a combination of intuitive messages, visualization and hand on healing work we move you through as much of the process as you will allow and end with homework. These sessions can be scheduled for 60,90 or 120 minutes. ($150/$200/$250)
*Please arrive 15 minutes early to fill out the paperwork or request the paperwork via email and come in with it filled out.


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I should honestly be working for a marketing company. I mean in the last 5 days since I took the GMAT I have gotten more e-mails about what I got and why am I keeping people waiting…the hype was building. It finally reached a crescendo last night when someone broke into my apartment to find out what I got on the GMAT. (That last one isn't true, but I did get a lot of e-mails and I want to thank those who cared enough to drop me a line). So why you ask did I wait this long to deliver this tidbit of news? Well something has been happening behind the scenes here at the blog. An exciting thing, a somewhat disappointing thing, and things that will have a huge impact on my life. But before we get to that, here is rundown of what happened on my GMAT.
I arrived at the testing center at around 7:25 for my 8:00am test. Why, because I am neurotic about being early. As I am looking for a way into the locked building, a woman asks me if I am here to take a test. I told her I was and she told me to follow her and that she was running late, she was sick, and the other guy who was supposed to be here today has a pregnant wife, so he might be a little late, or just not show up at all. This woman is talking a mile a minute and is pretty much giving me a verbal rendition of her autobiography. I pretend to intently listen, while inside a fire was burning. One that would fuel me to achieve greatness on this test (at least I hoped it was that and not just gas…). Too make a long and frustrating story shorter, lets just say that the guy whose wife was going to have the baby, forgot to come into work because he though it was Columbus Day weekend and the center was closed. I didn't start my test until about 8:20, so I was just hanging out with 14 other people for about an hour. One hour, to think about the test…my strategy, the score I needed. I think I freaked myself out a bit during that time because when I went in to take the test, I wasn't as confident as I was when that fire was burning inside me (it turned out to just be gas…).
The test began well enough, answering questions left (or wrong) and right. Swatting all comers away with confidence that I was getting them right. I was on question 20, when I realized that I hadn't looked at the clock yet. This isn't unusual, as timing has never been my problem. When I looked at the clock, it was a moment of sheer terror. If it was portrayed in a movie, the camera would have zoomed in on my horrifying expression, while some eerie music plays in the background. I don't remember the exact numbers in play here, but needless to say, I was pretty much screwed. I think I had 20 questions left for 30 minutes, or something insane like that! I immediately hit the panic button (there wasn't an actual panic button, but a metaphorical panic button instead)! I start whizzing through problems by just narrowing down answer choices to 2 and then picking one. I don't think that was one of the strategies that Manhattan GMAT recommends…I finally catch-up to where I am supposed to be and there are about 5 questions left. I answer those to the best of my knowledge, but the damage was done. Time management had ruined my Quant section for sure. After this emotional and physical beating I still had verbal to contend with…
I don't know if it is the GMAT in general, or I have just been really lucky, but every official GMAT I have taken has started the verbal section off with a sentence correction question (my least favorite of the verbal questions). Despite that I make my way through this section without much fuss, but with a constant eye on the clock. I finish it off and I feel pretty good about verbal, but I just know that my quant score it going to tank my overall score. I click through the questions about my background and I get to the section that asks if I want to cancel my score. I seriously think about doing this, but I was always told to never, ever cancel your score, unless there is something ridiculous that happens, like a lion breaks into the testing facility and bites your leg off. So I don't cancel my score. Out of nowhere someone breaks through the door into the testing center with a trombone and plays WA-WA-WAaaaaaaaaaa. I see my score up on screen….640. Just as I suspected my quant had destroyed a good test. My breakdown was a 40 for quant (8 points lower than last time) and a 38 for verbal (2 points higher than time). So what did I learn? Well first, James Joyce seemed to help me, but not as much as I would have liked. Secondly, and probably the most obvious…even it has never been a problem for you before ALWAYS CHECK THE CLOCK! Time management ruined my GMAT and my day…but all was not lost.
On Thursday of the week prior to the GMAT I was supposed to have a call with Randall Sawyer of the Johnson School to discuss what I could do as a re-applicant to better my profile. The call didn't happen because he wasn't in the office. I don't know if he had something happen, or the admin did not block that time out on his calendar, but they get a pass…once is a mistake and I can handle that. I was bummed out, but not totally destroyed.
Also on Thursday of that week, I had a 2nd interview at a bank in the city (this bank may or may not sponsor Liverpool F.C.). After 2.5 hours of interviews I emerged confident that I would be receiving an offer, but then I was told that because of funding reasons, the position would be put on hold until January. I was thrilled about that because I knew that I would find out about Cornell, Columbia, BU, and ND before January, so if I got in somewhere I could politely decline an offer, or if I didn't get in…the new gig would have been a nice fall back option.
So what ended up happening? Well, the new bank was so impressed with me, that they ended up putting through an exception to make me an offer, which was incredibly generous, like 25% higher than what I make now generous! The offer came on Monday, which is incidentally the day that I was going to hit the submit button on my Cornell app. After talking it over with my wife, my family, my extended family, random people on the street, and a homeless guy who was trying to catch a unicorn….I decided that I am not going to be applying to B-School this year and I am accepting this new position. The past few days have been a whirlwind, but I finally got the official offer letter last night and I gave my two weeks notice this morning.
I am saddened to leave my current job, as the people around here really make the company what it is. Although I will miss the people I work with, I know that this is in my best interest now and for my future. Once I made the decision I decided that I should call Randall Sawyer to let him know that I wouldn't be applying. I thought that he deserved to know why I wasn't applying because he had been so helpful to me throughout the process. I have too much respect for him to just leave him guessing. I called Randall and while he was disappointed that I wasn't reapplying, he said that getting an offer in this job market is something I should be proud of. I thanked him for his help, he thanked me for the call and we said goodbye, but not before he added that B-School would always be there for me in a couple of years if I still want it.
So now what? Well the blog dies….I don't really know why I would keep it around if I am not planning on applying to B-school for at least 2 years. I had a great time blogging and sharing my successes (I don't know how many there were but there had to be some, right, right????) and failures (multiple, soul crushing failures). I believe that all things happen for a reason. I was meant to take this job and to not go to B-School. Why? I have not idea…but it is going to be really fun to find out!
This post has been adapted from Confessions of an MBA Applicant where Steve Gargiulo has been blogging since May of 2009.
Previous posts:
My Application Plans: Take Two
The Ups & Downs Of Taking Those Practice GMAT Tests
A Report on the MBA's Tour Stop in New York City
Pulling James Joyce Off the Shelf to Improve a GMAT Score


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The Multilift series are compact, all-in-one units designed to collect and transfer sewage from below sewer level
The Multilift series are compact, all-in-one units designed to collect and transfer sewage from below sewer level – in everything from private homes to large complexes. Available in many sizes, Multilift stations transfer wastewater efficiently and with minimum noise.
The complete range is gas and odour proof, easy to install, and require minimum maintenance. The choice ranges from the single-pump M model to large, double-tank MDV and MD1 units featuring either SuperVortex or channel-impeller SE pumps
Ready to install
The Grundfos Multilift M and MD stations are supplied as complete units ready for installation. The units consist of one or two vortex impeller pumps fully integrated with the collecting tank.
The collecting tank is made of non-breakable, non-corrosive, airtight polyethylene. It is completely watertight as well as gas and odour proof.
Pumped liquids
The Multilift M and MD stations are suitable for handling wastewater and other liquids containing solids, such as fibres, textiles, and faeces, with a pH value of 4 to 10.
The Multilift M and MD are capable of handling liquid temperatures between 0 and +40°C, for short periods of time up to +60°C.


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Cybergeddon likely to be caused by 'glorious cock-up'
30 November 2012 | 0
Cybergeddon is more likely to be caused by a "glorious cock-up" than a state-sponsored cyberattack, according to Paul Simmonds, co-founder of the Jericho Forum and former CISO of AstraZeneca and ICI.
Speaking at the "Cybergeddon – fact or fiction?" debate in London, Simmonds said it is more likely that all the DNS route servers will be taken out by a cascade action due to a botched router upgrade than a deliberate attempt by one government to bring down another.
"With any kind of cascade action, it's the law of unintended consequences. The instant you say we're going to take down the Internet – the Internet probably has all your water systems on it, your electricity systems, controls your nuclear reactors," said Simmonds.
"You overload and take down that infrastructure, you will take down the world. So I think people would use that kind of take-down capability at their peril, because you will never confine it to, say, China."
Simmonds added that the frequently-ignored human element of information security is one of the biggest threats facing organisations today, because users will always optimise for utility and not think about risk.
"Often it's not piece of ninja malware cooked up in a basement that will bring down your organisation but a well-meaning employee who made an unfortunate choice and clicked a link in an email," he said.
He also highlighted that 90% of the FTSE 100 have a security team of five people or less, so most large organisations are not getting the intelligence and understanding that they need to protect their data assets.
Professor Fred Piper, Head of Information Security Group at Royal Holloway University of London, added that cyber security has been slipping down the agenda for many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), because in the current economic climate "survival is enough".
With the advent of more agile software development methods, and the cloud mentality of "just throw it out there and see if it works," the so-called insider threat is greater than ever, according to Simmonds.
Piper pointed out that the spate of denial of service attacks on Estonia in 2007, purportedly carried out by Russian hackers, proved that entire countries could be shut down by malicious parties using cyber weapons.
"It depends what you mean by Cybergeddon. If Cybergeddon means the destruction of the whole Internet infrastructure, I don't see anybody having any advantage in doing that, because they'll damage themselves as much as they'll damage their opponent," he said. "However, locally it may be a different story, and Estonia is an example of what could be called a local Cybergeddon."
Hugh Thompson, Chief Security Strategist at Blue Coat Systems, added that the risk of Cybergeddon should not be looked at in isolation but within the wider context of the theatre of war.
"There's probably going to be a set of other agenda items," he said. "I think the Internet really can be one place where war is waged, while it's being waged in other places as well."
Thompson said that using malware to disrupt critical infrastructure could cause a terrible outcome, and that such an attack is possible, given the warning signs over the last few years. However, he said that a more interesting view of what Cybergeddon could be is the total erosion of trust online.
A report released this week by security software firm Trend Micro revealed that some 91% of cyberattacks begin with a spear phishing email, which makes use of information about a target to make attacks more specific and personal.
"I've seen some incredible tools come out of the hacking community in the last year or so that make it possible to personalise one more email at a marginal cost of almost zero," said Thompson.
"So they can take my information from Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn – any social networking site – and make the attack personal. That's Cybergeddon," he concluded.
IDG News Service
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